© Chad Ehrlich
001-1963-Impala-Sport-Hardtop-Kansas-barn-find-shed-abandoned-under-dash-AC
It's amazing that anyone even found this hidden away 1963 Impala Sport hardtop.
How many classic cars and trucks are still out there, hidden away, and waiting to be rediscovered? We bet the answer is more than you think. Barn finds, field finds, garage finds, and shed finds are popular because people have always loved a good treasure hunt story. Yeah, cars like this 1963 Impala Sport hardtop aren't on par with Blackbeard's treasure found buried on a beach, but to us gearheads it's still pretty cool.
© Chad Ehrlich The 1963 Chevy Impala in this story was found by Chad Ehrlich, of Nobody Else's Auto in Great Bend, Kansas. Ehrlich's business, and passion, is finding these forgotten and misplaced automotive relics and saving them to either be rebuilt or serve as parts cars for people's restoration projects. Sure, you can build a 1969 Camaro or 1957 Chevy using all reproduction parts, but many people like using the original stuff, and some cars don't have much aftermarket support.
© Chad Ehrlich This 1963 Impala was found at an old farmstead out in the middle of nowhere Kansas. There weren't even roads going to the place. Turns out that Ehrlich's cousin farms the area around it and let him know about the abandoned Impala, guarded by cows, with the barn falling down around it. Ehrlich then tracked down the owner of the land and made a deal for the classic Chevrolet four-door.
© Chad Ehrlich He's not sure of the story except the car was last tagged in 1985. Someone yanked out the engine and then stuffed it in the barn where it was forgotten and left under the watchful eyes of grazing cattle. Removing the Chevy from the collapsing shack of a barn was a bit sketchy, but they got it out without toppling the structure. There was also a pretty ticked-off possum that wasn't happy to be losing its home.
© Chad Ehrlich As for the Impala's condition, Ehrlich told us, "Sadly, the Impala isn't worth what it would take to rebuild it. Somebody left a pile of rubbish on the trunklid that rusted completely through! Everything is aged and weathered. Still, the Impala has a lot of good stuff left on it, and the four-door hardtops are getting popular! It also had a nice Chevy underdash A/C unit, which is a bit hard to find. Not many parts are reproduced for the four-door Impalas, so I always have people looking for these parts." So, while this car won't be saved, the parts from it will help other people save their own projects. It's the automotive version of an organ donor.
© Chad Ehrlich If you need some Impala parts, or if you just want to keep an eye on what new stuff is showing up in Ehrlich's salvage yard, you can follow them on Facebook (Nobody Else's Auto) or eBay (nobodyselsesauto), and he even has a YouTube channel called Nobody's Show! In fact, there's a video there of them saving this 1963 Impala, so check it out.